worship and life

Good morning friends,

Today's reading gives us more of the Prophet Isaiah. Speaking through Isaiah, God warns Israel that all the worship and sacrifice in the world can't make up for the violence and oppression the people are committing. God cares more about our actions than our religious ceremony. That doesn't mean worship is useless, only that we have to practice what we preach and live our faith all week.

God bless,

Sam

Isaiah: 1:1-15

The vision of Isaiah son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.²Hear, O heavens, and listen, O earth; for the Lord has spoken: I reared children and brought them up, but they have rebelled against me. ³The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master’s crib; but Israel does not know, my people do not understand. 

⁴Ah, sinful nation, people laden with iniquity, offspring who do evil, children who deal corruptly, who have forsaken the Lord, who have despised the Holy One of Israel, who are utterly estranged! ⁵Why do you seek further beatings? Why do you continue to rebel? The whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint.⁶From the sole of the foot even to the head, there is no soundness in it, but bruises and sores and bleeding wounds; they have not been drained, or bound up, or softened with oil. ⁷Your country lies desolate, your cities are burned with fire; in your very presence aliens devour your land; it is desolate, as overthrown by foreigners. ⁸And daughter Zion is left like a booth in a vineyard, like a shelter in a cucumber field, like a besieged city. ⁹If the Lord of hosts had not left us a few survivors, we would have been like Sodom, and become like Gomorrah.

¹⁰Hear the word of the Lord, you rulers of Sodom! Listen to the teaching of our God, you people of Gomorrah! ¹¹What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices? says the Lord; I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fed beasts; I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs, or of goats. ¹²When you come to appear before me, who asked this from your hand? Trample my courts no more; ¹³bringing offerings is futile; incense is an abomination to me. New moon and sabbath and calling of convocation— I cannot endure solemn assemblies with iniquity. ¹⁴Your new moons and your appointed festivals my soul hates; they have become a burden to me, I am weary of bearing them.¹⁵When you stretch out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood.

let the same mind be in you

Good morning sisters and brothers,
Today's reading is a great example of thinking theologically about life. Paul urges his readers to base their lives and the way they treat others on Jesus' life. In this case, he's especially thinking about how we use power and how we approach others. Some scholars believe that the second paragraph was taken from a hymn the congregation would have known. Whether that is the case or not, it's certainly one of the most powerful images of Christ's ministry and one I hold dear and hope to live.

God bless,
Sam

Philippians 2:1-11

If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, ²make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. ³Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. ⁴Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. 

⁵Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, ⁶who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, ⁷but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, ⁸he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death— even death on a cross. ⁹Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, ¹⁰so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, ¹¹and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

the revolution begins

Good morning sisters and brothers,
If protests and the "Shot heard round the world," began the American Revolution, Mattathias's attack in our passage today begins the Maccabee revolution against Antiochus. Many Jews caved in to the pressure to offer royal sacrifices, but for some this was the final straw. It's interesting that the royal officials approached Mattathias and his family to recruit them as leaders of the assimilation project of the royal faith. The result is quite the opposite of what the officials intended.

God bless,
Sam

1 Maccabees 2:15-26

15 The king’s officers who were enforcing the apostasy came to the town of Modein to make them offer sacrifice. ¹⁶Many from Israel came to them; and Mattathias and his sons were assembled. ¹⁷Then the king’s officers spoke to Mattathias as follows: ‘You are a leader, honoured and great in this town, and supported by sons and brothers. ¹⁸Now be the first to come and do what the king commands, as all the Gentiles and the people of Judah and those that are left in Jerusalem have done. Then you and your sons will be numbered among the Friends of the king, and you and your sons will be honoured with silver and gold and many gifts.’ 

19 But Mattathias answered and said in a loud voice: ‘Even if all the nations that live under the rule of the king obey him, and have chosen to obey his commandments, everyone of them abandoning the religion of their ancestors, ²⁰I and my sons and my brothers will continue to live by the covenant of our ancestors. ²¹Far be it from us to desert the law and the ordinances. ²²We will not obey the king’s words by turning aside from our religion to the right hand or to the left.’

23 When he had finished speaking these words, a Jew came forward in the sight of all to offer sacrifice on the altar in Modein, according to the king’s command. ²⁴When Mattathias saw it, he burned with zeal and his heart was stirred. He gave vent to righteous anger; he ran and killed him on the altar. ²⁵At the same time he killed the king’s officer who was forcing them to sacrifice, and he tore down the altar. ²⁶Thus he burned with zeal for the law, just as Phinehas did against Zimri son of Salu.

Elijah and Baal

Good morning sisters and brothers,
 
Yesterday we read about a contest the Prophet Elijah arranged between God and Baal to show the people of Israel who was God. Baal's many prophets (supported by the King and Queen of Israel) tried to offer a bull to Baal, but Baal didn't respond. Today, Elijah gets his turn. The violent ending is troubling, but it reminds us that when it comes to our ultimate allegiance, there can only be one God.

Blessings on your discipleship today,
Sam

1 Kings 18:30-40

³⁰Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come closer to me”; and all the people came closer to him. First he repaired the altar of the Lord that had been thrown down; ³¹Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord came, saying, “Israel shall be your name”; ³²with the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord. Then he made a trench around the altar, large enough to contain two measures of seed. 

³³Next he put the wood in order, cut the bull in pieces, and laid it on the wood. He said, “Fill four jars with water and pour it on the burnt offering and on the wood.” ³⁴Then he said, “Do it a second time”; and they did it a second time. Again he said, “Do it a third time”; and they did it a third time, ³⁵so that the water ran all around the altar, and filled the trench also with water. ³⁶At the time of the offering of the oblation, the prophet Elijah came near and said, “O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel, that I am your servant, and that I have done all these things at your bidding. ³⁷Answer me, O Lord, answer me, so that this people may know that you, O Lord, are God, and that you have turned their hearts back.”

³⁸Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt offering, the wood, the stones, and the dust, and even licked up the water that was in the trench. ³⁹When all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said, “The Lord indeed is God; the Lord indeed is God.” ⁴⁰Elijah said to them, “Seize the prophets of Baal; do not let one of them escape.” Then they seized them; and Elijah brought them down to the Wadi Kishon, and killed them there.

Elijah and Baal

Good morning brothers and sisters,
When Ahab and Elijah meet, it is obvious the two don't care much for each other. Elijah dislikes Ahab for his worship of other gods, while Ahab feels threatened by Elijah's message. Elijah proposes a contest between God and Baal, so he assembles the people and the prophets of Baal to see which god is supreme. The first part of the contest is in today's reading; we'll finish the story tomorrow.

Blessings on the new week,
Sam

1 Kings 18:16-29

¹⁷When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, “Is it you, you troubler of Israel?” ¹⁸He answered, “I have not troubled Israel; but you have, and your father’s house, because you have forsaken the commandments of the Lord and followed the Baals. ¹⁹Now therefore have all Israel assemble for me at Mount Carmel, with the four hundred fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table.” ²⁰So Ahab sent to all the Israelites, and assembled the prophets at Mount Carmel.

²¹Elijah then came near to all the people, and said, “How long will you go limping with two different opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.” The people did not answer him a word. ²²Then Elijah said to the people, “I, even I only, am left a prophet of the Lord; but Baal’s prophets number four hundred fifty. ²³Let two bulls be given to us; let them choose one bull for themselves, cut it in pieces, and lay it on the wood, but put no fire to it; I will prepare the other bull and lay it on the wood, but put no fire to it. ²⁴Then you call on the name of your god and I will call on the name of the Lord; the god who answers by fire is indeed God.” All the people answered, “Well spoken!”

²⁵Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose for yourselves one bull and prepare it first, for you are many; then call on the name of your god, but put no fire to it.” ²⁶So they took the bull that was given them, prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning until noon, crying, “O Baal, answer us!” But there was no voice, and no answer. They limped about the altar that they had made. ²⁷At noon Elijah mocked them, saying, “Cry aloud! Surely he is a god; either he is meditating, or he has wandered away, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened.” ²⁸Then they cried aloud and, as was their custom, they cut themselves with swords and lances until the blood gushed out over them. ²⁹As midday passed, they raved on until the time of the offering of the oblation, but there was no voice, no answer, and no response.

obedience is better than sacrifice

Good evening/morning brothers and sisters,
We read yesterday how Saul and the Israelite army did not totally destroy the Amalekites, but took the best animals. When confronted with this, Saul claims the intention all along was to sacrifice them to God. It's hard to say if he's being honest here. In any case, Samuel claims that sacrifice isn't the most important thing to God; obedience is. In a similar way, all the worship in the world is not as important as following God's calling in our lives. We need to walk the walk and talk the talk.

Blessings,
Sam

1 Samuel 15:13-23

¹³When Samuel came to Saul, Saul said to him, “May you be blessed by the Lord; I have carried out the command of the Lord.” ¹⁴But Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of sheep in my ears, and the lowing of cattle that I hear?” ¹⁵Saul said, “They have brought them from the Amalekites; for the people spared the best of the sheep and the cattle, to sacrifice to the Lord your God; but the rest we have utterly destroyed.”

¹⁶Then Samuel said to Saul, “Stop! I will tell you what the Lord said to me last night.” He replied, “Speak.” ¹⁷Samuel said, “Though you are little in your own eyes, are you not the head of the tribes of Israel? The Lord anointed you king over Israel. ¹⁸And the Lord sent you on a mission, and said, ‘Go, utterly destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are consumed.’ ¹⁹Why then did you not obey the voice of the Lord? Why did you swoop down on the spoil, and do what was evil in the sight of the Lord?”

²⁰Saul said to Samuel, “I have obeyed the voice of the Lord, I have gone on the mission on which the Lord sent me, I have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and I have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. ²¹But from the spoil the people took sheep and cattle, the best of the things devoted to destruction, to sacrifice to the Lord your God in Gilgal.” ²²And Samuel said, “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Surely, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams. ²³For rebellion is no less a sin than divination, and stubbornness is like iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has also rejected you from being king.”

freedom

Good afternoon brothers and sisters,
Blessings on the day as we celebrate and give thanks for the freedoms we enjoy in the United States and the courage of those who have sacrificed to secure those freedoms for us. I pray we would always use our freedom to serve others and to support peace and justice in the world. Our story today is appropriate as it continues the story of God bringing the people of Israel out of slaved into freedom. After the Israelites left slavery in Egypt the Egyptian elite decided they had made a mistake in letting their slaves go. The army pursued the Israelites and thought they had them trapped at the Red Sea. Our story reminds us that God can make a way where there seems to be no way. For that reason we can always be people of hope. I cling to that hope in the midst of the joys and sorrows of General Assembly and all of life.

God bless,
Sam

Exodus 14:21-31

²¹Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea. The Lord drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night, and turned the sea into dry land; and the waters were divided. ²²The Israelites went into the sea on dry ground, the waters forming a wall for them on their right and on their left. ²³The Egyptians pursued, and went into the sea after them, all of Pharaoh’s horses, chariots, and chariot drivers. 

²⁴At the morning watch the Lord in the pillar of fire and cloud looked down upon the Egyptian army, and threw the Egyptian army into panic. ²⁵He clogged their chariot wheels so that they turned with difficulty. The Egyptians said, “Let us flee from the Israelites, for the Lord is fighting for them against Egypt.” ²⁶Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea, so that the water may come back upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots and chariot drivers.” ²⁷So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at dawn the sea returned to its normal depth. As the Egyptians fled before it, the Lord tossed the Egyptians into the sea.

²⁸The waters returned and covered the chariots and the chariot drivers, the entire army of Pharaoh that had followed them into the sea; not one of them remained. ²⁹But the Israelites walked on dry ground through the sea, the waters forming a wall for them on their right and on their left. ³⁰Thus the Lord saved Israel that day from the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. ³¹Israel saw the great work that the Lord did against the Egyptians. So the people feared the Lord and believed in the Lord and in his servant Moses.

God is love

Good morning friends,
There's a lot going on at and around Laurelton this week as we remember the last week before Jesus death. I'll get the schedule of events on the website as soon as I can. Tonight at St. Ambrose (Culver and Empire) there will be an ecumenical tenebrae service at 7:30. In the tenebrae service we tell the story of Jesus' passion with readings and music. As the story moves towards Christ's death, candles are extinguished and the sanctuary grows darker. We've participated in the service the last three years, and it is quite powerful.

Today's reading comes from the Apostle John's first letter. John reminds his readers that God is love, so we should love each other. He also emphasizes that we know God's love best through Jesus' life and death for us. This week is all about entering into the mystery of Jesus' suffering. Try to take some extra time each day to reflect on Christ's love and walk the road with him.

God bless,
Sam

1 John 4:7-21

⁷Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. ⁸Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. ⁹God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him. ¹⁰In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. ¹¹Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another. ¹²No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us. ¹³By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.

¹⁴And we have seen and do testify that the Father has sent his Son as the Savior of the world. ¹⁵God abides in those who confess that Jesus is the Son of God, and they abide in God. ¹⁶So we have known and believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them.

¹⁷Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness on the day of judgment, because as he is, so are we in this world. ¹⁸There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love. ¹⁹We love because he first loved us. ²⁰Those who say, “I love God,” and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen. ²¹The commandment we have from him is this: those who love God must love their brothers and sisters also.

God's gracious sacrifice

Good morning brothers and sisters,
Today's reading is challenging, so if you can, read it through at least twice. In the first two chapters of this letter Paul argued that everyone sins; he reinforces that point here. We have all sinned, so we all need God's forgiveness, God's grace. Paul says until Christ our sin was in forbearance like a loan we couldn't pay. God wasn't collecting the loan; he wasn't demanding the penalty for sin, but the sin wasn't forgiven either.

Then, amazingly, God offers Jesus as a sacrifice for sin. That shows righteousness because the debt of sin is paid for rather than just overlooked, but the debt we couldn't pay is paid by God. By paying our debt God offers forgiveness to everyone: Jews and gentiles, the whole world. We join ourselves to Christ by faith and so we trade in our sin for Christ's righteousness. We can't boast about our goodness because God did it for us. Our role now is to accept God's amazing love, to let go of guilt and fear, and to make our lives shine with love and gratitude to the God who loves us so much.

Blessings on your day,
Sam

Romans 3:19-31

¹⁹Now we know that whatever the law says, it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. ²⁰For “no human being will be justified in his sight” by deeds prescribed by the law, for through the law comes the knowledge of sin. 

²¹But now, apart from law, the righteousness of God has been disclosed, and is attested by the law and the prophets, ²²the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction, ²³since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; ²⁴they are now justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, ²⁵whom God put forward as a sacrifice of atonement by his blood, effective through faith. He did this to show his righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over the sins previously committed; ²⁶it was to prove at the present time that he himself is righteous and that he justifies the one who has faith in Jesus.

²⁷Then what becomes of boasting? It is excluded. By what law? By that of works? No, but by the law of faith. ²⁸For we hold that a person is justified by faith apart from works prescribed by the law. ²⁹Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, ³⁰since God is one; and he will justify the circumcised on the ground of faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith. ³¹Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law.

justice and judgment

Good afternoon church,
In today's reading Amos brings heavy charges against the powerful of Judah. He calls them to task for oppressing the poor and increasing their wealth. He also suggests that many people in Judah looked forward to the day when God's kingdom would be fulfilled, since they were God's special people. Amos warns that with the injustice Judah permits and continues they will find God's judgment harsh rather than rewarding. Faithfulness to God isn't about worship; it's about doing the right thing in our lives, and God cares deeply about the poor.

God bless,
Sam

Amos 5:10-24

¹⁰They hate the one who reproves in the gate, and they abhor the one who speaks the truth. ¹¹Therefore because you trample on the poor and take from them levies of grain, you have built houses of hewn stone, but you shall not live in them; you have planted pleasant vineyards, but you shall not drink their wine. ¹²For I know how many are your transgressions, and how great are your sins— you who afflict the righteous, who take a bribe, and push aside the needy in the gate. ¹³Therefore the prudent will keep silent in such a time; for it is an evil time. ¹⁴Seek good and not evil, that you may live; and so the Lord, the God of hosts, will be with you, just as you have said. ¹⁵Hate evil and love good, and establish justice in the gate; it may be that the Lord, the God of hosts, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.

¹⁶Therefore thus says the Lord, the God of hosts, the Lord: In all the squares there shall be wailing; and in all the streets they shall say, “Alas! alas!” They shall call the farmers to mourning, and those skilled in lamentation, to wailing; ¹⁷in all the vineyards there shall be wailing, for I will pass through the midst of you, says the Lord. ¹⁸Alas for you who desire the day of the Lord! Why do you want the day of the Lord? It is darkness, not light; ¹⁹as if someone fled from a lion, and was met by a bear; or went into the house and rested a hand against the wall, and was bitten by a snake. ²⁰Is not the day of the Lord darkness, not light, and gloom with no brightness in it?

²¹I hate, I despise your festivals, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies. ²²Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them; and the offerings of well-being of your fatted animals I will not look upon. ²³Take away from me the noise of your songs; I will not listen to the melody of your harps. ²⁴But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an everflowing stream.

the covenant sealed

Good morning sisters and brothers,
As this section of legal material fleshing out the Ten Commandments comes to a close, Moses and the leaders of Israel ratify a covenant with God that includes these laws. Covenants in that time were sealed with sacrifices and here both the people and the altar that symbolized the covenant with God were splashed with blood. As we remember each month at Christ's communion table, the new covenant based on God's grace in Jesus is sealed in his blood. We are still a people of covenant, tied to God by love and calling.

God bless,
Sam

Exodus 24:1-8

Then he said to Moses, “Come up to the Lord, you and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and worship at a distance. 2Moses alone shall come near the Lord; but the others shall not come near, and the people shall not come up with him.” 3Moses came and told the people all the words of the Lord and all the ordinances; and all the people answered with one voice, and said, “All the words that the Lord has spoken we will do.” 4And Moses wrote down all the words of the Lord.



He rose early in the morning, and built an altar at the foot of the mountain, and set up twelve pillars, corresponding to the twelve tribes of Israel. 5He sent young men of the people of Israel, who offered burnt offerings and sacrificed oxen as offerings of well-being to the Lord. 6Moses took half of the blood and put it in basins, and half of the blood he dashed against the altar. 7Then he took the book of the covenant, and read it in the hearing of the people; and they said, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient.” 8Moses took the blood and dashed it on the people, and said, “See the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words.”

shining brightly

Good morning sisters and brothers,
I just love Paul's letter to the Philippians. We read the most familiar part of it in worship yesterday, the "Christ hymn," which talks about Christ not regarding equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself. The letter overall has a tone of such love and encouragement that it always inspires me. It is one of the letters Paul wrote from prison, and though he knew his death might be imminent, he was unafraid. Today he encourages the Philippians to live in community without arguing. He reminds them that the world is hard and often twisted, but for that reason if they are blameless, their example will shine brightly. He reminds them also that their faith is what he will boast about when Christ comes again and that even if he is "poured out" (killed) he will still rejoice as that will be an offering to God. All I can say is praise Jesus and amen. May we find such joy and courage in Christ as well.

Blessings on your week,
Sam

Philippians 2:14-19

14Do all things without murmuring and arguing, 15so that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, in which you shine like stars in the world. 16It is by your holding fast to the word of life that I can boast on the day of Christ that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. 17But even if I am being poured out as a libation over the sacrifice and the offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you— 18and in the same way you also must be glad and rejoice with me. 19I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, so that I may be cheered by news of you.

lays down his life

Good morning brothers and sisters,
Some of us heard most of this passage yesterday in worship. The image of Jesus as our Good Shepherd who willingly lays down his life for the sheep is a powerful one. It shouldn't surprise us that some of his audience thought he was crazy, especially when he talked about having the power to lay down his life and to take it up again. In this case he contrasts his love as the shepherd with the more selfish concerns of the "hired hands" who led the people of Israel then, the Pharisees and temple leaders.

Blessings as you follow the shepherd this week,
Sam

John 10:11-21

11“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away—and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13The hired hand runs away because a hired hand does not care for the sheep. 14I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep. 16I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. 17For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. 18No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again. I have received this command from my Father.”


19Again the Jews were divided because of these words. 20Many of them were saying, “He has a demon and is out of his mind. Why listen to him?” 21Others were saying, “These are not the words of one who has a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”

Christ and idols

Good morning friends,
Today Paul discusses the danger of idols and our unity with Christ. He talks about how everyone who takes part in communion is joined together in one body with each other and with Jesus. Whatever differences we may have, we truly are one in the Lord, especially when we remember that we share the Lord's Supper. At the same time, a similar unity is part of other sacrifices too. That means Christians have no place in the temples and sacrifices of idols. We can only have one God. Christian faith isn't something added to whatever else we believe in; it is the center of who we are and it holds everything else together.
Blessings on your ministry today,
Sam

1 Corinthians 9:15-22

15I speak as to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. 16The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a sharing in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a sharing in the body of Christ? 17Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.


18Consider the people of Israel; are not those who eat the sacrifices partners in the altar? 19What do I imply then? That food sacrificed to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything? 20No, I imply that what pagans sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be partners with demons. 21You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons. 22Or are we provoking the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he?

a merciful example

Good morning sisters and brothers,
Today's reading makes the case that since Christ came to save humanity from sin Christ had to be human. By taking on every part of human life, Jesus serves as our faithful high priest. Like the priests of the old temple Jesus offered a sacrifice to take away our sin. They offered lambs and goats and cattle; Christ offered himself. Because the sacrifice is perfect and the priest offering it doesn't need to offer sin offerings for himself, the one sacrifice frees us from sin forever.

Since Christ is our brother he shared the struggles of being human and understands our weakness. That means we can always bring our fears and struggles to Jesus in prayer because he understands us and can sympathize with human weakness. He also sets an example for us by living a perfect human life. Jesus brings us home to God and makes God understandable to us. Thanks be to God.
Enjoy your freedom in Christ today,

Sam


Hebrews 2:10-18

10It was fitting that God, for whom and through whom all things exist, in bringing many children to glory, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through sufferings. 11For the one who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one Father. For this reason Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters, 12saying, "I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters, in the midst of the congregation I will praise you." 13And again, "I will put my trust in him." And again, "Here am I and the children whom God has given me."


14Since, therefore, the children share flesh and blood, he himself likewise shared the same things, so that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, 15and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by the fear of death. 16For it is clear that he did not come to help angels, but the descendants of Abraham. 17Therefore he had to become like his brothers and sisters in every respect, so that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make a sacrifice of atonement for the sins of the people. 18Because he himself was tested by what he suffered, he is able to help those who are being tested.

out in the open

Good morning friends,
This morning's reading wraps up the comparison the author has been making throughout the letter between the sacrifices and priesthood of the Law and the sacrifice and priesthood of Christ. Throughout the passage, since the author is referring all the way back to the original priestly laws in Leviticus while Israel was still wandering in the desert, he talks about a tent instead of a temple and a camp instead of the city. The line about the animals being burned outside the camp seems to suggest that even though these sacrifices sanctify the people in some way, in the end they are unclean, which is why they are burned outside the camp.

In contrast to the old sacrifices, Jesus was offered outside the city but truly sanctifies not only the people of Israel, but all who seek that forgiveness. Instead of going to the tent or temple to find cleansing the author calls us out of the city, out of our comfort zones, out of our isolated communities to suffer with Jesus. That, along with the encouragement to serve others by sharing, is a great image for evangelism and sharing. We aren't called to worship in closed tents with others like us; we are called to worship through service and witness outside the tent where those who don't know they are called will see us and find Christ's grace. So blessings to you today in your work outside the city that can give people a glimpse of God's love.

God bless,
Sam

Hebrews 13:9-17
9Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings; for it is well for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by regulations about food, which have not benefited those who observe them. 10We have an altar from which those who officiate in the tent have no right to eat. 11For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest as a sacrifice for sin are burned outside the camp. 12Therefore Jesus also suffered outside the city gate in order to sanctify the people by his own blood. 13Let us then go to him outside the camp and bear the abuse he endured. 14For here we have no lasting city, but we are looking for the city that is to come.

15Through him, then, let us continually offer a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that confess his name. 16Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God. 17Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls and will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with sighing—for that would be harmful to you.